Chicago man seeks new trial in Lombard stabbing case

A Chicago man found guilty last month of severely beating and stabbing the mother of his two young children wants a new trial.

In court records, Senior Assistant Public Defender Kyle Rubeck said he believes the court erred more than a dozen times during the trial of Demetrice Tompkins by overruling numerous objections and allowing photos of a bloody footprint, never proven to belong to Tompkins, to be used during jury deliberations.

The motion for a new trial also claims prosecutors failed to prove Tompkins guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

A six-person jury deliberated for just more than two hours in early June before finding Tompkins guilty of attempted murder, aggravated domestic violence and armed violence in the December 2011 attack on Crystal Ward, 43, of Lombard.

During Tompkins' trial, Ward testified Tompkins sought her and her 3-year-old son out at his brother's apartment in the same complex and confronted her about her drinking habits.

Ward said the beating started when she told Tompkins she would attend a court hearing stemming from a July 2011 domestic dispute between the two.

"That's when he dragged me to the bathroom and started punching me," Ward testified. "I was facing the mirror and I could see my face changing colors as he punched me."

During a break in the attack, Ward said she sat against the bathroom door to prevent Tompkins from coming back at her, but after a struggle, he forced his way back in.

"He looked at me and pulled a knife with his right hand. I asked him what he was going to do with that and he said, 'I'm going to jail for murder today.' Then he slit my left wrist and stabbed my torso," Ward testified. "I said, 'Are you really going to do this? What about our kids?' and he said, 'You don't care about them anyway' and he stabbed me again. I started praying."

In all, Ward was stabbed several times and suffered severe injuries to her face from the beating.

Judge Daniel Guerin will rule on Rubeck's motion for a new trial at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 6. If Guerin denies the request, he will immediately sentence Tompkins to a prison term not to exceed 30 years.

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